1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to paper napkins In particular, the present invention relates to folded paper napkins designed to be inserted in bulk and withdrawn one-at-a-time from a dispenser.
2. Description of Related Art
Folded paper napkins for use in napkin dispensers in food service establishments are well known. In the food service and restaurant industries, disposable napkins in dispensers are made available to patrons in a manner that is both sanitary and easy to use. Some folded napkin types and the dispensers designed for their use do not dispense consistently or easily one-at-a-time. An example of a folded napkin type which does not dispense easily or consistently one-at-a-time is referred to by the restaurant industry as a Tall-Fold Napkin. This type of folded dispenser napkin is exemplified by the Hyloap® Tall Fold Dispenser Napkin sold by Georgia Pacific Corp., Manufacturer Item Number 33201. It has folded dimensions of 3.5″×6.5″ and unfolded dimensions of 7″×13.5″. Typically, it is used by restaurants in a metal or plastic dispenser box which loads from both sides with a folded steel plate on either side of the napkins which acts as a spring to move the napkins to either the outer edge or each side of the dispenser as napkins are removed for use by the restaurant patron. Tall-Fold Napkins are folded but without each napkin in the napkin stack being interconnected (i.e., interleaved). Therefore, a common problem with dispensing this type of napkin is that a patron often pulls more than one napkin at-a-time from the dispenser because there is no protruding edge of the napkin lifted up after the patron removes a napkin from the dispenser. Restaurants that use Tall-Fold Napkins in Tall-Fold dispensers often experience a high rate of napkin waste as the patron will often grab more than one napkin when reaching into the dispenser to take a napkin because there is no leading edge of the napkin protruding.
Another goal of food service and restaurant establishments is to reduce the time necessary for staff to replace/refill napkins in dispensers. Tall-fold dispensers typically have a capacity for 150 paper napkins. This capacity, and the tendency of patrons to take more than one napkin when reaching into the dispenser, results in the need to frequently refill the dispenser. Accordingly, some known napkin dispensers and folded paper napkins compatible with these dispensers are designed to prevent a user from withdrawing more than one napkin at-a-time. These napkin dispensers and folded paper napkins designed for use in these dispensers prevent a user from withdrawing more than one napkin at-a-time because a protruding edge of the napkin is readily available to the user to pull the napkin from the dispenser and therefore limited the user from withdrawing more than his or her desired number of napkins, which reduces napkin waster. These napkins are typically interleaved (interfolded) so that pulling one napkin results in the next napkin being pulled into position for the user to take the next napkin. Furthermore, these types of napkins not only provide a solution of one-at-a-time napkin use, but napkin consumption by a restaurant establishment may be reduced by as much as 25% compared to the consumption of Tall-Fold Napkins The one-at-a-time dispensing also improves hygiene as, unlike Tall-Fold Napkins, one-at-a-time napkin dispensing with interleaved napkin stacks virtually eliminates the need to touch the dispenser in order to withdraw napkins Known napkin dispensers and the napkins designed for use in said dispensers are, for example, Tork® Xpressnap and also Georgia-Pacific EasyNap®. Both of these brands have their own proprietary dispensers for use with the respective napkin brand. Also the Venue Tabletop Dispensers Interfold (H4003TBK) is marketed by San Jamar and designed to work with a variety of one-at-a-time folded paper napkins, including Tork Xpressnap® and EasyNap®, Cascades® Serve one, and Bellemarque Just1™.
Other examples of a napkin type with compatible dispenser that is common in food service and restaurant establishments, commonly referred to as a Mini-Fold Napkin, that does not easily dispense one-at-a-time is the Georgia Pacific Mini-HiNap, Item #3700, Cascades North River ServeRite III, Item #2750, and Kimberly-Clark Scott Mini-Fold Item #98750. Also similar is the SCA Luxri 13, Item D820. These napkins products have a folded dimension of 6.5″ to between 3.5″ and 3.8″. Their unfolded dimension is nominally 13″×12″. These napkins are marketed to be dispensed from a Mini-Fold dispenser; examples are the Palmer Fixture Table-Top Mini-Fold Napkin Dispenser—Item P.E.O. N55B5—and also the Georgia Pacific Mini Mornap Napkin, #3700, Mini-Fold Open Face Model Napkin Dispenser, Item #51502. Tork (SCA) Luxri 13, #D820, is another napkin product intended for dispensing in Mini-Fold dispensers. Similar to the problem with Tall-Fold Napkins, Mini-Fold Napkins present no leading edge protruding from the dispenser enabling the user to reach easily for one napkin at-a-time. Mini-Fold Napkins are not interleaved in the stack. The lack of a leading protruding edge of the napkin from the Mini-Fold dispenser due to the lack of interleaving results in the potential for the user taking more than one napkin at-a-time and thereby causing excess consumption of napkins for the food service establishment or restaurant.
The problem inherent with Tall-Fold and Mini-Fold Napkin types and their respective dispensers is that in addition to the problems of excess napkin consumption previously described, neither napkin type is interchangeable outside of their respective dispenser types. Therefore, a Tall-Fold Napkin package does not fit or dispense easily from a Mini-Fold Dispenser and a Mini-Fold Napkin does not fit or dispense easily from a Tall-Fold Dispenser. This problem requires a food service establishment or restaurant that places either Tall-Fold Dispensers or Mini-Fold Dispensers in their establishment to use only the specific napkin type made for the particular dispenser.
There is accordingly a need for a folded paper napkin that achieves the easily-refillable characteristic in both Tall-Fold and Mini-Fold Dispensers, and also the characteristic of one-at-a-time dispensing.